Selection and Configuration in Mobile Environments: A Utility-Based Approach

Vahe Poladian, David Garlan, and Mary Shaw

Users of low-power mobile computing platforms make ad hoc decisions
when choosing software components among alternatives and configuring
those components. We propose applying utility-theoretic models, which
can help determine optimal allocation of scarce resources to
applications given the user's utility and application resource
usage. We believe that taking into consideration resource consumption
and applying microeconomic models has the potential of improving the
user's satisfaction with the system. In this paper, we formulate the
problem, demonstrate the use of a microeconomics-based model on a
simple version of the problem, and list possible solutions. Further,
we identify issues typical of mobile environments that are not
addressed by existing research, and propose ways of tackling these
issues.